There was a day trip to London – the Cheshire One on half-term break wanted to see Cleopatra’s Needle. So, research done, it was decided to take a train to Blackfriars and from there to walk along the Embankment. What a glorious setting is Blackfriars Station:  it’s perched midway across the Blackfriars Railway Bridge, right above the Thames. Gasp. Below – a couple of craft were moving on the river     and the mind was cast back to Cleddau’s own...

Miles, many miles, have passed under tyre wheels since the last Boatwif report. Back then, breathless and jet-lagged at the end of November, there had been an estimate of 820 road miles over about 19 days travelled throughout Southern California. That followed a calculation of 820 sea, river and canal Cleddau miles, between April and October of last year. And since early December there’s been more gobbling of road miles – to Kent for a surprise 70th birthday party,   ...

When a good trip draws to an end the head fills with visual memories, each a reminder of more than the picture itself… This was the rear of a fire truck returning to a San Marcos fire house.  During a previous stay (October 2007) Cal Son’s San Marcos neighbourhood spent four long days on notice of likely evacuation. The fires burned down one ridge line and along another. Their neighbourhood valley escaped fire while others didn’t. At the high school...

On the Friday before Thanksgiving Break Cal Guy Jnr’s class went on a field trip to the Museum of Making Music in Carlsbad, about a 25 minute drive west towards the coast. He’d enjoyed it – and asked to go back. The museum galleries are on the ground floor of the global headquarters of NAMM, the National Association of Music Merchants.   Instruments made and sold since 1900 are on display: phonographs,    organs,    accordions, pianos, wind and stringed instruments,    ...

You can almost get confused out here as to which season it is – is it Thanksgiving?   or Christmas?   (Photos taken on the same day, same store). The roadside pumpkin selling patch has now restocked with Fresh standing in water Christmas trees… and on Black Friday there was a cheer at the first sighting of a large Christmas tree lashed to the roof of a saloon car… At the Carlsbad Outlet Mall last week (November 13th) the central Christmas tree...

(A post delayed by a power cable failure) Boatwif and the Captain were spared a regular school day on Monday (12th November) as it was Veterans’ Day in the US, a public holiday. There would be four schooldays of the forthcoming week before the Thanksgiving Break and a confusing amount of time-keeping to contend with. Cal Guy Jnr (age 8, Third Grade in elementary school) needs to be at school for 0845. He can be delivered from 0810 and he...

There’s been a huge expansion in home deliveries in recent years, Tesco and Ocado and the like buzz about delivering to houses, flats, palaces (maybe) and even boats…  Now on behalf of Sainsbury’s the Cleddau crew have made a delivery drop in Southern California… Foolish enough to ask family members if there were any shopping requests from the UK their answers were swift and decisive: “Chocolate drops,” said Cal Gal. “Smarties,” said Cal Guy Jnr, “and Jaffa cakes – plus...

For the Cleddau crew there always seems to be a breathlessness about October. You see, November follows October and again this year there will be a November Thanksgiving Visit to California… So, things had to be done… At the outset of the month, after the best part of six months afloat, the boat needed closing up, the house needed opening up and the garden needed clearing up… Between the jobs that needed doing came social activities. Take Apple Day, for...

Little did Cleddau or her crew know in early October last year that she was leaving Victoria Pit on the upper level of the Macclesfield Canal for what would be a Gap Year Plus… Tixall Wide to Aston Marina, 9 miles, 3 locks Monday October 1st dawned dry, though breezy. This really was to be the final boating day of the 2018 cruise. There was a short final stroll along the towpath at Tixall Wide,    the bank now clear...

Slowly onward, Hopwas to Tixall Wide, 21¼ miles, 5 locks During the recent crop of warm September days there have been lengthening afternoon shadows and stunning evening sunsets.   The most frequent sign of the season has been grey squirrels, spotted in numerous locations, scrabbling for booty to haul away to secret places. Along the Coventry Canal, beside the Trent and Mersey and on the Shugborough Estate grey squirrels have been seen, always focused and always fast!   On sunny Thursday...